Alright, Pet?
Newcastle University has requested staff stop saying the word ‘pet’ in new inclusive language guide.
The institution put forward the guide to researchers in an attempt to avoid “patronising and gendered terms” such as “girls, pet or ladies”.
The inclusive guide is a seven-page long document available on for download on the University’s website which covers language concerning gender, gender affirmation, sexual orientation and race.
The guide comes about after leaders in research stressed “concerns about using the ‘wrong’ language” when talking about equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).
Other sections of the language guidance manual also suggested steering clear of phrases such as “man up”, “grow some balls” and “don’t be such a girl” which it described as “incredibly sexist phrases which you may hear in conversation.”
The guide also gave tips on how to avoid being patronising in a section called ‘Talking about gender’ in which it advised referring to groups as “friends of colleagues”.
“When these are used to address men, they also perpetuate the stereotype that men can’t be emotional, and simultaneously indicate that men are stronger than women,” it added.
The guide stated: “Language is always evolving, and it is important to be mindful of any trends. Language can also be individualised – what one person finds acceptable; another may find inappropriate in certain contexts.”
Since the release of the guide there has been plenty of debate surrounding the release of the University’s language booklet.
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Broadcaster and author Eleanor Mills expressed her love for “the regionality” of terms like ‘pet’ during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, but she also said the use of such words and phrases is “all about context.”
She said: “There’s a really patronising element to it and of course it’s all about context.”
“You wouldn’t call you boss ‘pet’, ‘babe’, ‘sweetie’, ‘love’.
“It’s about a power dynamic and I think the reason why a lot of young women particularly really don’t like being called pet or ‘baby’ or ‘sweetie’ or something by a stranger is ’cause it feels rather demeaning, infantilising and patronising.”
However, Mark Byron, a former Big Brother contestant disagreed that terms of endearment such a ‘pet’ were sexist.
He said: “I think it’s sweet. It’s part of our regional identity. I’m from Liverpool but I live in central London which we’re really lucky it’s so multicultural, but you kind of use some of those regional tweaks.
“It needs to be celebrated because it is just a term of endearment.”
A spokesperson for Newcastle University stressed that the terms were not banned and added: “Our researchers asked for advice on using inclusive language in a professional capacity and the guide was created to help them do that.”
